Unleashing My Inner Sophia

eV

Every year for my birthday, I like to write a blog post reflecting what personality trait or goal I want to accomplish that year. One year, when I was in my forties, I unleashed my inner bombshell. Then another year, I was jogging so I unleashed my inner runner, etc. etc. 

This year, I couldn't figure out what it was that I had left to unleash. Maybe this was as good as it gets and there was nothing left.

But then a memory came to me of a character I admired and even remember thinking, "When I get older, I want to be Sophia." Now you probably think, Sophia Loren with her timeless beauty or even Sophia Vergara, with her amazing physique.

But no. My goal was to be Sophia Petrillo from the Golden Girls.  I loved that show! I never wanted to grow old and be Blanche - the sexy one! My goal was to grow old and be Sophia - the quick witted one. 

I remember thinking. “I can’t wait to speak without a filter and get away with it because I’m old.”

Her character is described as:

Sassy, quick-witted, and wise, she provides comic relief and surprisingly deep advice.

That's what I want. That's how I want to live out my senior citizen years. That's how I want to be remembered.

Sassy and quick-witted - to me that is not being mean but direct. You can be sassy and quick-witted by speaking truth and being blunt but by tempering it through the Holy Spirit to wake people up. To be like the Apostle Peter, where yes, he often spoke quickly before thinking but he was also called the Rock. 

Bringer of Comic Relief - This is ME! I'm not good at the hugging and the crying. That usually makes me want to flee, but making people laugh and lightening the mood that is my job. Even when my dad was in a nursing home, my older sister was the soft touch, my younger sister the practical one, and I was comic relief. I think my dad needed all three and God knew it.

Giver of deep advice - this is my prayer for myself. Deep advice comes from being in close fellowship with Jesus, in tune to the Holy Spirit, and knowledgeable of the Word. All advice we give should flow through those three things. My prayer is that when someone comes to me for prayer or advise that I give them Godly counsel. 

There are two types of elderly people. And we have all met them. There are those who are like Moses at 85 leading the people into the Promise Land and Caleb at 85 saying, "Give me the high country."

Or there is Naomi from the Book of Esther when she was bitter and depressed.

I want to be a Moses and a Caleb. 

Now some of you elderly reading this will say, "Well, I don't have good health." And that is even me some days. Some days I wake up and look in the mirror and say, "What the hell is that on my face?" It's like in the middle of the night something new grows where it shouldn't. Or I get out of bed and there are weird aches and pains somewhere new, crazy unused places, and it wasn't like I ran a marathon the day before.  

There is a lady at my church who is in a wheelchair. She is probably in her 80s and her husband pulls out her wheelchair at 6:30 am every Sunday so they can both serve as greeters. They are just starting a new ministry at our church for Grief Share during a weeknight. I can't even stay up past 8:30 pm most nights. I look at them, as I'm running into the church, late for my morning greeter position, and they are already at their post, and I am amazed. They are my inspiration.

So, as I enter my late 50s and approach 60, my life ambition is to embrace the Sophia Petrillo spirit - sassy, quick-witted, wise and comic relief. The world can be so heavy and dark at times. We need Sophias. We need to bring joy, laughter, and light to people who are struggling in their Naomi stage of life. When Naomi encountered a Ruth spirit - she changed from grumpy to blessed.

So, to quote Sophia:

"Gowing old is mandatory, but growing up is an option."

So, pray with me for my birthday:

Heavenly Father, 

You gave Caleb and Moses the strength to lead people in their golden years, give me the strength to lead people to you in my golden years. Give me wisdom like Daniel in his golden years, that brought revelation to generations. Extend my years like Hezekiah so that I can be here for my daughter until you provide for her the Boaz I've been praying for and bless me with good health so I can run the race with endurance and reach for that prize - the crown of life set before me.  

In Jesus Name. Amen.

Love,

Yolanda